Panas Goes Distance, Wins 1st NYSPHSAA Class A Crown

Class AA White Plains, Class B Put Valley Fall in Finals

By Tony Pinciaro

When discussing the 2022-23 WALTER PANAS varsity girls’ basketball team it will have to be prefaced by, New York State Class A champions. The Panthers, who entered the Section 1 and New York State Public High School Athletic Association overlooked and underestimated, had the final say Saturday.

After dispatching 2022 state Class A champion Averill Park (Section 2), 47-42, in a semifinal, Panas beat Canandaigua (Section 5), 61-51, in the state final.

It is the first state championship in program history for the Panthers (24-5), but the season is not over. Panas will play St. Joseph’s by the Sea, the Catholic High School champion, in a Federation semifinal, 5 p.m., Saturday, March 18, at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Senior Sarah Chiulli and her teammates silenced those who did not consider Panas sectional contenders.

“When that buzzer finally went off it was an incredible feeling knowing we were state champs,” Chiulli said. “Everyone underestimated us the entire season and we proved them all wrong by not only winning the section, but now the state.”

Panas earned this state championship, beginning with its performance in the Section 1 Class A Basketball Championship. The sixth-seeded Panthers defeated third-seeded Pearl River (quarterfinal), second-seeded Mahopac (semifinal) and top-seeded Harrison (final). Panas manhandled Union-Endicott (Section 4) and Wallkill (Section 9) in regional play before beating defending state champion Averill Park and then Canandaigua. A perfect 8-0 run in the postseason, including four wins over fellow sectional champions. Panas held seven of its eight postseason opponents to fewer than 45 points per game.

For Chiulli and her fellow seniors – Kelsey Cregan, Julia Gallinger and Kara Mattson – they will leave with a lasting double-championship legacy; both sectional and state.

“For me, Kelsey, Julia and Kara, this win is especially amazing because this was our last chance to make it this far and reach this goal and that’s exactly what we did,” Chiulli stated. “Honestly, it’s just a great way to go out and I’m proud to end my senior year as a part of a team that made history at Panas with the first-ever girls’ basketball section title and state title.”

Panas Coach Matt Evangelista could not contain his enthusiasm when discussing his state-title team.

“I would definitely say that it has not sunk in yet,” Evangelista said. “I am so proud of all 12 of these special girls. They have so much heart and resilience. The seniors played so maturely. And the sophomores played so fearlessly. Throughout this whole run we had so many players step up and make big plays. It was truly a team effort.”

Sophomores Cadence Nicholas and Sophia Taverez led the way in the title game with 30 points and 12 points, respectively. Nicholas also had a big game in Panas’ sectional-title win over Harrison.

Panas’ victory over Averill Park gave the Panthers a good feeling going into the final, and it showed. Panas blitzed Canandaigua in the first quarter to the tune of a 23-4 lead.

“Our performance in the semis made us feel confident in the final since we beat Averill Park, the team that won the state title last year,” Nicholas said. “We knew we had to play aggressive in order for them to be tired and we thrive off of that.”

Chiulli and her teammates are hoping to add a third title to the season, beginning Saturday, in a Federation semifinal.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to keep playing and we are going to continue working hard and see what else we can accomplish this season,” Chiulli said.

For the second consecutive season, PUTNAM VALLEY met its Waterloo in the New York State final four. Last year, Section 5 titleist Waterloo defeated Putnam Valley in a state semifinal. This year, Waterloo shocked Putnam Valley, rallying from a 10-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, for a 58-48 win in the New York State Class B championship game.

Waterloo outscored Putnam Valley (26-2), 29-9 in the final quarter. The 58 points were the most allowed by the Tigers this season.

“In the fourth quarter, they hit three big 3-pointers to take the lead and we couldn’t get the momentum back,” Nai Torres said. “We fought all the way to the end, but we fell short.”

The Tigers came into the state final four rolling and continued with a 70-50 victory over Albany Academy (Section 2) in a semifinal. That momentum carried over into the final through three quarters.

“I think our team was ready for that semifinal game and we came out focused and with good energy,” said Torres of the Albany Academy game. “We also did a great job of sharing the ball and being patient on offense. It gave us confidence to start the final game the way we did and come out with the same good energy on both ends.”

Based on the team’s consecutive sectional titles and state final-four appearances, Torres is psyched for the 2023-24 season.

“Although this season didn’t end with the outcome we wanted, I am very excited for what next season will bring,” Torres said. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence this season that I am going to carry on to next season. Losing our seniors is not going to be easy, but we have to adjust and work even harder to get to where we got to this year.”

Putnam Valley will miss Simone Gabriel and the school’s all-time leading scorer, Eva DeChent, who will attend Rhode Island University and also play basketball. DeChent, who surpassed 2,000 career points this season, will play for former New York State legend and University of Virginia all-american Tammi Reiss, who led Eldred (Section 9) to a state title.

Putnam Valley Coach Don Hamlin has won two sectional titles and has two NYS Final 4 berths in his final season with the Tigers. This year, though, was special.

“The season for me exceeded expectations,” Hamlin said. “I was pleasantly surprised that we took a big step forward from last year. I was happy to see the growth and maturation of these girls.

“Eva had a great season,” he added. “She is great in every aspect of the game. Eva was surrounded by a phenomenal supporting cast. I’m truly blessed to have been their coach. We were supported by awesome assistant coaches, Kerry Sullivan, Cyan Scarduzio and Harrison Deegan.”

WHITE PLAINS was aiming to add an exclamation point to its outstanding season at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA final four.

The Tigers made quick work of Liverpool (Section 3), 57-46 in a semifinal. However, Webster-Schroeder (Section 5) would spoil White Plains’ state-title aspirations.

The Section 5 champions defeated White Plains, 49-41 in the state final at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. White Plains finished with a 23-4 record. The Tigers were riding a 19-game winning streak going into the title game.

“In the semifinal game, we played very well on defense,” said senior Aliya McIver, who will attend Rider in the fall and also play basketball. “Coming into the final game, our focus was defense, as well. We were struggling offensively, but we did take more shots than they did. They just weren’t falling. We were down the entire game so we were playing catch up. Our defense wasn’t as strong as it was in the semifinals, but besides that we still had many more opportunities to score than we did. Despite the outcome, we had a great season and we made it farther than White Plains has been for a very long time so for that, I can congratulate my team.”

White Plains’ coach Benj Carter considers himself fortunate to coach this team.

“They are an exceptional group of girls who have applied themselves both on the court and in the classroom,” Carter said. “They remained consistent with practice, as evidenced by their ability to implement our strategies on the court, as well.

“The team, overall, made me very proud to be their coach. Despite our state-final loss, they are back-to-back league champs, sectional champs, regional champs and state finalists. That’s a legacy to be remembered for and that makes them No.1 in my eyes.”